Fire reportedly opened at Donetsk’s western suburb

Information about the injured and about damages is being verified now

Ukrainian servicemen

MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military shelled the Staromikhailovka settlement to the west of Donetsk from 152-mm artillery, a source at defense authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) told the Donetsk News Agency on Saturday.

"At about 12:30, the Ukrainian military used artillery of 152mm caliber on the Staromikhailovka settlement," the source said.

Information about the injured and about damages is being verified now.

Head of Donetsk’s Kuibyshev district Ivan Prikhodko said a house burned down as the Ukrainian military had shelled the district.

The defense ministries of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics report over 120 violations of truce from positions of the Ukrainian military after the sixth ceasefire was announced on December 23. The Ukrainian military are responsible for over 310 cases of shelling, the defense ministries reported.

The Contact Group signed the key package of measures for peaceful settlement in Donbass, known as Minsk-2, on February 12. Under the document, the sides are to withdraw heavy weapons from the contact line, namely artillery systems of 100 mm caliber or more to the distance of at least 50 km, multiple rocket launcher systems (MLRS) to the distance of 70 km and most powerful Tornado-S, Uragan and Smerch MLRS, as well as tactical missile systems Tochka/Tochka U to the distance of 140 km. In late September 2015, a supplement to the Minsk-2 package was signed withdraw weapons under 100mm caliber to a distance of 15 kilometers for the line of engagement.

On January 13, the Trilateral Contact Group meeting in the Belarusian capital city Minsk agreed on yet another, the seventh, ceasefire in Donbass from 00:00 local time on January 14. However Ukrainian troops reportedly continue to violate ceasefire.